Wednesday, July 29, 2015

It's freebie time once again! One of my most popular products at this time of year are my editable label sets:

I have had several requests for a long, thin label that would match the others and fit on paper baskets, so I have decided to offer it (in all the colors/prints) as a freebie "add-on" label. Anyone can download this, even if you have not purchased the other labels. You can access it by clicking on the picture or words below.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Each year as I get ready for back to school, I change a few things...parent packets, behavior chart, specials schedule format, etc. This year, I made updates to my Star of the Week poster and writing page! Click on the picture or words below to download for free! :)

After a few requests to make the parent letter editable, I now have that available as well! I realize that not everybody uses the same events throughout the week, so feel free to edit away! You can access the editable version for free by clicking the picture or words below. Please note that you will need PowerPoint to open and edit the file.

Friday- We pick the name of the next Star of the Week and they get to take home Traveling Teddy for the Weekend. He is a teddy bear with a backpack that has a journal in it. Students then take a picture with Teddy at some point during the weekend (optional of course, but some families get super into it!) and write about what they did, usually with the help of a parent, depending on time of year. Students also make a poster (with the help of their family) with pictures on it (see note).

Monday- Student brings in items listed on parent letter (poster, all about me page, favorite book, mystery box item, and Teddy). The student shares Teddy's journal with the class. I hang up the poster and all about me page so they can be displayed all week. We put the favorite book in a safe place for Wednesday, and sneak the mystery box item into the box.

Tuesday- Student shares all about me page. This is pretty quick and can be done during calendar, snack, morning meeting, etc. The first year that I taught, Star of the Week took up so much time that I thought I would never do it again. Over the years, I have realized how easily it can fit into already existing parts of the day.

Wednesday- Student reads (or has teacher read) his/her favorite book. If a child forgets to bring in a book, he/she can easily grab one from our classroom library or his/her book box. Again, this can fit in to any part of your day when you would normally do a read-a-loud.

Thursday- Mystery Box...this is my favorite activity of the week! Once the first few students do this, the rest of the class catches on, and it pretty much runs itself. I have a large box that I covered with silver wrapping paper and a sign that says "Mystery Box". The Star of the Week brings an item in, we sneak it into the box, and the other students have to guess what it is. This is a fun activity for encouraging students to participate because even if the answer is no ("Is it fuzzy?"), they are still helping us get closer to the answer (because now we know it's not fuzzy). It's impossible to be wrong! It is also good for reinforcing what a question is (or asking/telling sentences) or a good lesson in adjectives. I have my Star of the Week use tally marks to keep track of how many questions have been asked on the board up front, and I also have the other students keep track on their small dry erase boards at their desks. This keeps them actively listening/participating and gives them practice with tally marks.

Friday- The Star of the Week shares his/her poster and then I usually let the listeners ask 3 questions about the poster (another good opportunity to reinforce what a "question" is!). If they have more, they can ask in their letter or at recess. Students then go back to their desks and write a letter to the Star of the Week. I then compile the letters into a book for the child to take home. The Star can either make a cover for the book or do a free write...up to you!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Actually, it's a trick AND a treat. On Tuesdays in October, I will be offering one TPT "trick" and one "treat" to all my loyal readers!

Trick: How to Make TPT Previews in 2 Minutes or Less!

An oldie, but a goodie.

Okay, we've all been there. You spend hours upon hours creating a product to post on Teachers Pay Teachers, and you are ready to post it. However, now begins the tedious task of creating the preview file. (insert Jeopardy song...)

Want to know how to create a preview in two minutes or less?!?!?

Enter Picasa. Picasa is a free photo program (by Google I believe) that you download onto your computer. You can use it to edit, organize, etc. your photos, but you can also use it to create preview photo collages for TPT.

When in Picasa, select the photos you want and then click the little button that says "Create Photo Collage" when you hover your mouse over it:

And...

Ta da! No more clicking, re-sizing, dragging, re-positioning, one photo at a time! You can even choose the collage you want...pile, mosaic, frame, etc.! AND, you can add text and send photos forward or backward! Just create the collage, export it to the folder where you keep your preview files, and you're done!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Each year, "back to school" means spending countless hours pushing furniture around my classroom, hanging bulletin board paper, and spending more time on ladders than on the ground. I also distinctly remember it as the only time when "adult music" blasts all day long. Once the kids arrive, Dr. Jean it is.

But after classroom set up and parent packet copying comes the time when you sit down and look at your plan book and try to get back in the swing of things. And that's the hard part. Ifinally, after three years, put my beginning of the year writing plans into a comprehensive document! I'm not going to lie...I started this three years ago. And then...school would start. And I'd forget about it. Confession: I have been printing the unfinished "ugly version" (no clip art, no cute fonts) of this just so I could use the lesson plan part. But it's finally done!

This unit is JAM PACKED with 124 pages of writing resources to help you establish writer's workshop routines and help your students get into the habit of working independently. I came up with a list of skills that I like to teach my students, and then came up with an order, anchor charts, checklists, and other accessories.

Mini lessons include:

- What is Writing Time?- Adding Details- Stretching Words- Using a Word Wall- Using an Alphabet Chart- What Writing Time Looks/Sounds Like- Sharing Writing- When I’m Done- Extending Writing Across Several Days- Using Known Words to Spell New Words- Using Complete Sentences- Long Words vs. Short Words- Using Spaces- Using End Marks- Using Capital Letters- Using an Editing Checklist

And...you have the opportunity to get it on sale! Be sure to shop the big sale!

Friday, August 1, 2014

Couldn't have said it better myself! The way I see it, I've been doing my readers a favor, because why post if I have nothing new to report? I might as well wait until I can share something of value. I have spent the summer doing a lot of planning and coming up with goals and timelines for *finally* finishing some of the product on my ideas list, as well as some fun new freebies for you all! One will be released within the next week and is perfect for back to school...that's all I will say about that. ;)

Listening:
To Pandora for now. Planning to go outside in a bit, but right now Pandora is keeping me entertained. Speaking of which, have you ever used Pandora in the classroom? Angela from Hippo Ray in Second Grade did a blog post on it and ever since then, I've been intrigued!

Loving: Sunshine. Vitamin D. A healthy glow. And the freckles that come along with all that of course. It's my favorite part of summer. Sometimes I feel like a solar powered Energizer bunny because of how much I love my sunshine. (Disclaimer: I do take sun safety seriously and use LOTS of sunscreen! Everything in moderation!)

Thinking:

About the best plan to attack classroom set-up. Thoughts? Right now, I'm thinking:

Move big furniture/rugs. Get perimeter of room set-up.

Arrange desks in middle of room.

Set up walls (whiteboards/bulletin boards, word wall, posters).

Set up outside of room (door, wall space, locker tags, etc.)

Get materials on shelves organized.

Get papers and teacher desk area organized.

Print everything I have collected this summer.

Laminate as needed.

CUT.

Label student items (cubbies, desks, lockers, nametags, labels, etc.) This HAS to be last because you ALWAYS have students added right up until the first day of school.

Did I forget anything????????????????? :/

Wanting:

My August Julep Mavenbox. It's been shipped and is on its way, but waiting is hard! Love at first sight. Coming from a girl who gets bills and credit card advertisements in the mail, I felt so spoiled to see this arrive! I have seen Kate from The Small Things Blog get Julep boxes before, and I always kinda secretly wanted that little purple box to show up at my door. And when it does, you feel like ROYALTY.

The best part? Once you get monthly boxes you can customize...for example in July I picked colors from three different boxes!

Everyone claims that it is the best nail polish and that it "wears like a gel", and after trying mine...that's all I can say too! The pictures don't do the nail colors justice. I love them! The reason I decided to try it is because they have a promotion going on right now where new customers can get their first box free hoping that they'll continue to pay for monthly boxes to arrive. Extending is strictly optional...cancel by the 24th of the month to stop shipments. Like I said before, I have always thought about starting a coupon blog, so I guess now is my chance to share the love. To get a free box:
Visit Julep and select JOIN MAVEN.
Take the beauty quiz or click SHOW ME ALL STYLES.
Select MAVEN MONTHLY plan.
Use code FREEBOX at checkout and the price will drop to $0.00! (Pay only shipping - $3.99)

Needing:
A classroom fairy. To help with the heavy lifting and high reaching and just expedite things in general. And maybe bring me a Starbucks :) A girl can dream, right?

Monday, June 2, 2014

Listening:
To the dishwasher. It's one of those dishwashing/laundry nights where you pay more attention to loading and unloading than anything else.

Loving:

It's no secret that I love Sephora. I am now loving my Julep Mavenbox. Am I the last to know about this??? Coming from a girl who gets bills and credit card advertisements in the mail, I felt so spoiled to see this arrive! I have seen Kate from The Small Things Blog get Julep boxes before, and I always kinda secretly wanted that little purple box to show up at my door. Everyone claims that it is the best nail polish and that it "wears like a gel", and after trying mine...that's all I can say too! The picture doesn't do the nail colors justice. I love them! The reason I decided to try it is because they have a promotion going on right now where new customers can get their first box free hoping that they'll continue to pay for monthly boxes to arrive. Extending is strictly optional...cancel by the 24th of the month to stop shipments. I have always thought about starting a coupon blog, so I guess now is my chance to share the love. To get a free box:

Visit Julep and select JOIN MAVEN.
Take the beauty quiz or click SHOW ME ALL STYLES.
Select MAVEN MONTHLY plan.
Use code FREEBOX at checkout and the price will drop to $0.00! (Pay only shipping - $3.99)

How was that?!? Until I have my own couponing blog, perhaps I will continue to share coupons here and there that might interest teachers. I'll have to start my Target Dollar Spot Alert posts soon too!

Thinking:
About my TPT priorities for the summer. Do I do more craftivities? Common Core mini-lesson series? I keep going back and forth based on what I am currently receiving requests for. I need to put together a plan for the next several weeks.

Wanting:
More time before the year ends! That includes more time with my class (I may be the only teacher thinking that at this point in the year) and more time to pack up my things. Do you need to pack up every year? Can you leave up bulletin boards? I only have to do a partial pack this year which is good news considering I have moved rooms almost every year before this year!

Needing:
More time to organize my coupons. Sadly, it is extremely time consuming. I think just having a little time to get a plan together about what to get where would help greatly! I am not an extreme couponer by any means, but I like to save where I can! :)

Bucket List:
Sunshine. Vitamin D. A healthy glow. ASAP.
Muscle tone. Fabulous arms.
Lists. Calendars. A plan. For all area of my life.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Let me start by saying...wow...that took me a lot of tries to type "February" correctly! I kept making typos! Do you ever do that in text messages? And then try to correct it and make it a different typo? And then again? I guess that's what I get for using Siri instead of my own two thumbs! :)

Listening:
To shoveling and the buzz of snowblowers! I've been hearing this A LOT this winter! The snow piles on the sides of my driveway are about as tall as I am right now, and there is supposed to be more snow on the way!

Loving:
Sleeping in on Saturdays! Sleep feels like such a luxury. It's funny how something so simple can make you feel so much better after a long week. Whether it's an extra 20 minutes or an extra hour, I will take what I can get!

Thinking:
About what to eat. Ever since I went gluten-free, I spend so much time thinking about what to eat. I keep trying to find substitutes for everything I am craving!

Wanting:
To just get days off with no make-ups! I doubt that I will be able to impart much knowledge during June!

Needing:
Sunshine. Vitamin D. A healthy glow. ASAP.

2 Truths and a Fib:
Truth: I don't like the way flowers smell, and I make lists for everything (including lists of things I need to make lists for).

FIB: I really, really dislike the color red. I like it on other people. I like it in other people's classrooms. I like it in other people's houses. But I just cannot make it work for me. You're probably wondering why t's on my blog then! To be honest, the colors of this blog aren't exactly "me" with the red and all, but I needed a little red to go with my apple logo :) So I made it work. I might update at some point, but for now, it's fine.

Before I go, I wanted to show a couple items that might make these next few weeks a little less stressful for you...

Saturday, January 4, 2014

How do you use links in your Teachers Pay Teachers product descriptions? This is a question that I have been getting a lot lately. Hopefully this TPT tip is one that you can use to promote your products! The good news is that it is not as difficult as you may think.

To start, pin the image below or bookmark this page for quick access to the product linking code:

How To: Links in TPT Descriptions

Then follow these steps:

Click the green edit button.

Scroll down to the "description" box.

Scroll down to where in the description you want to add the link.

Copy and paste the following code where you want the link:<a href="INSERT HTTP ADDRESS FOR YOUR PRODUCT HERE" target="_blank">INSERT PRODUCT NAME HERE</a>Copy and paste the http address of your product (just like you're adding a link to your blog) to replace the first set of capital letters, and type the name of the product where the second set of capital letters is. Post the product, and check to make sure it worked. I recommend copying and pasting the code as opposed to retyping, because with html even an extra space can cause the link not to work! I hope you enjoyed this tip! If you have any ideas for other tutorials, leave a comment below!